President Kennedy promotes plan to reduce antidepressant use

Lizzy leads STAT’s FDA coverage. Her story explores the relationship between politics and science at the FDA, its influence on industry, and the agency’s ability to protect and promote public health. Confidential tips can be sent on Signal at lizzylaw.53.

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing ahead with efforts to help Americans wean themselves from taking psychiatric drugs, a medical procedure known as deprescribing.

Earlier this month, dozens of mental health experts met with federal health officials to plan upcoming clinical guidance to help health care providers teach patients how to wean antidepressants. The Department of Health and Human Services is discussing plans to hold such a meeting, but no summary of the discussions has been reported.

During these talks, they considered guidance from European countries and worked on recommending non-drug treatment options, such as therapy, for patients to address their mental health. A senior HHS official said they discussed gaps in research regarding SSRI discontinuation, including the side effects that people may experience (which vary by drug and how long they’ve been taken) and how to recognize the difference between those side effects and a patient’s recurrence of depressive symptoms.

STAT+ exclusive story